A/N - Yes, yes, I know. I created yet another story. I'm a criminal. Blah blah. The truth is, I've been on a Castlevania binge lately and this idea just would not leave me alone. I had to write this chapter while I was inspired to do so! lol

One of the games that really inspired me to write this is Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. That and Dawn of Sorrow. Such good games. Hell, I've played and beat a ton of Castlevania games by now and I absolutely LOVE them. lol

Anywho, Naruto is essentially Dracula in this fic. He is going to be overpowered and able to steamroll pretty much anyone that crosses him. So you're going to see all kinds of OP crap going on in this story. That's kind of unavoidable.

Alright, I'm a little tired, so I'll end this here. See you at the bottom! lol

Chapter 1 – Reincarnation

There was a legend known in each of the many nations that made up the world as people knew it. A legend of an ancient being that was so powerful and so feared that the only solution was to force it back into its slumber. This being was known as a vampire of such great power that he could change the world, if only he was given the opportunity to do so. This creature had many minions to do its bidding, such as the being named Death.

Many hundreds of years ago, in a time before the rise of the shinobi and the formation of the Elemental Nations, a family of monster hunters known as the Belmont family, fought against this creature time and time again. They slew his minions one after another. Slew his friends and most loyal of fellows. And then, as was the case of almost every encounter, the Belmont family would seal him away again. All of this was done before he ever got the chance to change the world in his image.

However, a man named Julius Belmont managed to truly kill this creature, a being named Dracula. Julius was praised as a legendary hero for achieving what no one had ever accomplished before. Dracula was well and truly DEAD. However, our tale doesn't end there…

Years after his prime, Julius encountered a young man named Soma Cruz. This young man was Dracula's reincarnation and, if events played out in a certain way, he could have become the new Dracula. Julius knew that, if Soma ever embraced his destiny, there was likely no chance in hell that he would pull off a victory. Thankfully, Soma had never embraced his supposed 'destiny' and had vanquished the baddies that wanted to truly resurrect the infamous Dark Lord.

Hundreds of years later, after Soma grew old and died and Julius had departed into the afterlife, the world became something wholly different. Now was the time of the shinobi and the formation of nine beasts known as the bijuu. Dracula and the Belmont family had become nothing but a folktale of a time long ago. At best, they were a myth that parents would whisper to their children to make them behave. Nobody truly believed in Dracula these days, and that was how the Belmonts would have wanted it.

However, on this night, a 16 year-old boy would turn that myth into a reality…

Present Time

We find our protagonist, a young man named Naruto, running as fast as he could from a rather large mob of villagers, shinobi and civilian alike. He was terrified, as he usually was on his birthday, and desperately seeking some means of escape. Oh, he knew why they were attempting to kill him. It wasn't hard to figure out that he was the jinchuriki of the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko. Just like it wasn't hard to tell he's the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. But these monsters didn't care. They only wanted to see Naruto die and burn in Hell.

Come on, assholes! I'm only a few months away from graduating! Is it so wrong to live and let live?! I've never done anything to you bastards! Naruto thought to himself angrily as he rounded a corner. Looking ahead, he spotted Ayame motioning towards him. Blinking, he quickly followed her as she led him towards safety. Sadly, it was not to be.

Landing on the ground before them were two shinobi, both of them were grinning evilly. "Well, well. I see you're a demon lover, through and through. Feeding this thing was criminal enough. Now you're attempting to guide it to safety? Shame on you, Ayame."

Ayame glared hatefully at the duo and said, "His name is Naruto and he's a Human, just like us! Besides that, he's going to graduate in a couple of months! He's going to PROTECT us! Why can't you monsters just leave him alone?!"

It was at this point that the rather large mob arrived and surrounded the unfortunate duo. Ayame moved Naruto behind her protectively and said, "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. Hopefully Hokage-sama gets here soon to straighten all this out."

Snickering could be heard all around them. Glancing fearfully at the mob, Ayame asked, "What's so funny?"

One of the regular civilians stepped forward, an axe in hand. "Hokage-sama won't be coming to the rescue this time. The councils called for a sudden meeting. They've bought us the time needed to finally finish off the demon once and for all. Now do us a favor and step aside. I'd hate to have to harm that pretty face of yours."

Naruto blinked and said, "But…they don't have the power or authority to call a meeting like that. They know that! What the hell would they even want, anyways?!"

One of the shinobi that had cornered them laughed darkly. "It's only a distraction. Temporary, but it serves its purpose. Now, Ayame, I suggest you step away from the demon. Otherwise, we might have to get a bit…'nasty'."

Ayame stood her ground and glared hatefully at everyone around her. "You'll only get to Naruto-kun over my dead body!"

"Oh, such a poor choice of words." a kunoichi said before the whole mob began to chortle. Before Ayame or Naruto could react, Ayame was knocked to the ground, leaving Naruto vulnerable. But, Naruto's focus wasn't on that. No, his eyes focused on Ayame as she was stabbed again and again. Even after she was dead, they mangled and abused her poor, broken body.

Naruto didn't even register the pain as the mob began trying to kill him for the umpteenth time. "A-Ayame…please…this has to be a dream…"

Once more, the mob began to laugh evilly to themselves as they proceeded to brutalize his body. However, he couldn't even feel the pain. As he lay there, taking the beating, his mind was in overdrive. Ayame-chan…

Naruto felt a pulse throbbing in his body. As white-hot rage overtook him, he heard a voice in his head. "Embrace your darkness. They have hurt your loved one. They are the definition of pure evil. Sinners, each and every one of them. Accept me and you will have power beyond your wildest dreams. Power enough to destroy them. Power enough to make yourself a god amongst men! Embrace me and call out your true name!"

Slowly rising to his feet, his assailants unable to stop him, Naruto pulled on the strange feeling he felt and released it in a burst of energy. As a strange pillar of darkness shot up into the air, alerting everyone in the village to his location, Naruto floated there, a sinister look on his face. His body had undergone a transformation of sorts. He had grown about ten inches in height and had taken on a leaner physique. His hair was no longer the same spiky blonde it had always been. Instead, his hair was now a silvery white in appearance and was smoothed back. His eyes were now red with slit pupils. Another change was the fangs that had appeared in his mouth. Looking down at his hands, he saw that they had formed claws of some kind, though he wasn't quite sure why, exactly.

Clenching and unclenching his fists, Naruto looked upon the mob for a time before his eyes finally settled on Ayame. "My dearest Ayame. Don't you worry. I'll be with you in a moment."

When the mob began to move again, descending upon him, Naruto unleashed the power of hellfire upon them, incinerating the fools to ashes. For those that remained, Naruto grinned wickedly as he disappeared and reappeared over and over again, his hand ripping out their still beating hearts before casually tossing them over his shoulder into an ever growing pile. "My true name is Dracula. However, in this life, I shall be known as Naruto Dracula Uzumaki. You fools angered a god!"

When it was finally over and the entirety of the mob lay dead before him, Naruto approached Ayame and knelt down next to her. Somehow, she was still barely clinging to life. Sighing softly, he slit open his wrist and allowed her to drink of his blood. When dark energy began to bubble up around her body, he smiled slightly. "Good. Embrace the darkness, Ayame-chan. From now on, you shall be like me, a lady of the night."

As his dearest friend's body began to heal at a rapid pace, Naruto sensed a number of people rushing to investigate what had happened. The Hokage was included in the gathering group of people. When they finally arrived, Naruto cradled Ayame against him, lying her head on his lap as he gently stroked her hair. "What happened here?" Demanded Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"It's about time you showed up, Gramps. I was given no choice this time. I had to fight back and erase those that meant us harm. They nearly killed Ayame-chan here." Naruto said as he gently stroked Ayame's hair.

The Third frowned in confusion for a time before he got a look at Naruto's whiskered cheeks. Eyes widening in realization, he said, "Naruto-kun? What on Earth happened to you?"

"I assume you mean my sudden transformation. Tell me Gramps, were you ever going to inform me about the Kyuubi? Or did you just expect me to not find out until it was too late for me? Aside from that, there is the matter of my parents. It's quite obvious who my father was, although my mother's identity still eludes me. I suppose it's no matter at the moment." Naruto said, shrugging his shoulders dismissively. "As for my transformation? I've become something inhuman. I have successfully absorbed the Kyuubi's very being into my body and soul. But that is not enough to explain everything away. If you would permit me to speak with you in private, I shall explain then, and only then."

Hiruzen frowned slightly. It was obvious to him that more than just Naruto's appearance had changed. He seemed like a different person entirely! Shaking it off, he nodded at Naruto and said, "Follow me, Naruto-kun. Anbu! Clean this mess up immediately!"

Naruto watched the Anbu for a moment before he stood up, holding Ayame in his arms. As he followed after the esteemed leader of Konoha, Naruto stared down at Ayame and said, "You do know you can open your eyes now, don't you?"

Ayame opened one of her eyes and looked up into his red, slitted eyes. Giggling to herself, she snuggled up against him and said, "I'm glad you're okay, Naruto-kun."

"And I am glad you're alive, Ayame-chan. You do realize that I have changed you, of course?"

Ayame nodded and said, "Yes. I don't care about that, though. Thank you for saving my life, Naruto-kun."

"Of course. We will need to discuss our situation later, however. Preferably when we talk to your father about what we have become." Naruto said.

Ayame simply snuggled against his body and said, "He'll understand. Whatever happens, just know that we'll always be on your side, Naruto-kun. No matter what."

"Thank you, Ayame-chan." Naruto said.

A short time later, Naruto and Ayame were seated across from the Hokage in his office. He had dismissed his Anbu to give them some privacy. However, Naruto's eyes were focused on one corner of the room. "Gramps, I thought you dismissed all of your Anbu."

Hiruzen frowned and said, "I did." Looking in the direction of Naruto's gaze, he said, "Whoever's there, reveal yourself!"

When the mysterious intruder tried to flee, Naruto appeared before the man with his arm through his chest, the man's still beating heart in his hand. When Hiruzen got a good look at the supposed Anbu, his eyes widened before he began to scowl and clench his hands into fists. "Danzo! I should have known he would pull something like this!"

Naruto frowned for a moment before dragging the dead man over to Ayame. "Feed. You will need the sustenance."

Ayame blinked in confusion for a time before the smell of blood hit her nostrils. Slowly, her mouth began to water and she nodded once at Naruto. Leaning over the victim, she bit into his neck and began to feast on his blood.

Leaving Ayame to her meal, Naruto looked straight into Hiruzen's eyes. "You have questions. As do I. What do you say to a little give and take session? We take turns asking questions and giving answers. That sounds like a fair deal, does it not?"

Hiruzen nodded and steepled his fingers, allowing him to rest his chin upon them. "Very well. What caused this sudden change?"

Naruto quirked a brow as he folded his arms in front of his chest. "While you were preoccupied with that sudden council meeting, I was assaulted by another mob. Shinobi and civilian alike. Ayame-chan tried to help me escape. They stabbed her and beat her repeatedly. I thought she had died. I felt some kind of pulse inside of me and I grasped onto it. I underwent this change and took the opportunity to slay the mob. There were a lot of them. Most are simply ashes now."

"I see. For what it's worth, I'm sorry I wasn't there, Naruto-kun. Ask your question." Hiruzen said.

"I'll start off simple. Why did you neglect to tell me about the Kyuubi? And I swear that if you say you 'wanted me to live a normal life', I'll hurt you." Naruto said.

Hiruzen chuckled softly to himself and said, "I didn't want the knowledge to become a burden for you. I knew you would never be able to lead a normal life, but truthfully? I wanted to protect you. Though I have done a lousy job of doing so."

Shaking his head disappointedly, Naruto motioned for Hiruzen to ask his next question. "What exactly did you turn Ayame into?"

Naruto's brow rose again and he said, "It should be fairly obvious. She has become a vampire, a creature of the night."

"I see. Will she…?" Hiruzen began, only for Naruto to raise a hand and stop him.

"Remember, give and take. You asked and I answered. If you want to know more, you will have to ask another question. But it's my turn now. Who are my parents? And please don't lie to me again."

Hiruzen sighed at this and massaged his forehead for a time. "Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, is your father. And Kushina Uzumaki is your mother. You've already heard a great deal about your father, but you probably never heard of Kushina."

"I see. Ask your question, Hokage-sama." Naruto said.

"Can you please tell me if you and Ayame will be fine in the daytime?" Hiruzen questioned, hoping for some good news.

Naruto chuckled softly and said, "I'm going to assume you want to know more than just that. So I'll explain how things work for us." Smirking at the Hokage, Naruto said, "There is no need to worry. We won't shrivel up and burn to ashes in the daylight. Yes, we'll feel a bit weaker in the daytime when we're exposed to direct sunlight, but there's no reason for worry. Naturally, we'll be stronger during the night."

"Let's see here, what else should I tell you? Hmm…" Pondering on it for a time, Naruto said, "As you can see, we need to feed occasionally. Naturally, we need to feast on blood. The fresher, the better. We no longer have the need to eat human food, but we still can if we so chose. Garlic irritates our senses, but it's not truly a weakness. Just…try to avoid putting us near garlic, if you could. As for stakes through the heart, that's not really a concern. Holy items, such as the legendary Vampire Killer are a true danger to us. Holy water, crosses, and the like are painful, but won't outright kill us. Umm, also…water will feel like acid on our skin. So showers are a no go. However, if we use certain herbs, we can still take baths. I'll write up a list of what we'll be needing."

"As for needing to feed, I sincerely hope you can find some way to keep us fed. We do still need sustenance, and blood is best when it's fresh. Whether it's prisoners or you simply have some volunteers, I don't really care. We won't feed until someone dies; we aren't monsters like that. We just need a little bit at a time to survive. Well, sort of. As it stands, we are technically immortal. My biggest fear is the Vampire Killer. But, I believe it's my question now."

Hiruzen nodded in thought for a time. "Thank you for confiding so much in me, Naruto-kun. I'm glad that there is trust between us."

"Of course, Gramps. You may not be perfect, but you've been there for me when I needed you to be. You've taken time out of your busy schedule to check in on me and ensure I had at least one friend." Naruto said, smiling at the elderly man.

"Thank you. Now, do ask your question."

"Alright. You said they are my parents. Not they were my parents. This means they're still alive. What happened to them? Where are they now? And yes, that's two questions, but it's hard to answer one without the other." Naruto questioned.

Hiruzen chuckled softly and said, "I'll count them as one question. Don't worry." Closing his eyes, he shook his head and said, "You are correct. Your parents are still alive. I don't know how they survived, but they did. They left you here to serve as Konoha's guardian. Then they took your sister, a girl named Naruko, away with them. They'll be returning to Konoha sometime in the next few months, most likely for graduation. Honestly, I think Minato did something. Kushina would NEVER have left you here to suffer at the hands of the many bastards in the village. And, from the reports they've delivered to me on their progress with Naruko, I don't think your sister even knows that you exist."

Frowning deeply, Hiruzen said, "Naruto-kun, you absolutely CANNOT trust Jiraiya. I think he and Minato did something to Kushina. And they've obviously hidden the fact you exist from your sister. When they return to the village, I'll look into it with you and see what's been done. I refuse to let them get away with what they've put you through."

"I see. So, my father and his teacher are enemies, in other words. Very well." Naruto said, shrugging dismissively. "They will be dealt with in time."

Hiruzen chuckled softly to himself and said, "Somehow, I can believe you when you say something like that. Can you explain to me what you've become? Ayame may be a simple vampire, but you are anything but simple."

"Tell me, Hokage-sama, what do you know about the legend of Dracula?" Naruto asked, a sly grin on his face. When Hiruzen's eyes lit up in recognition, Naruto nodded once. "I am Dracula's reincarnation. Or rather, I am Dracula. All of Dracula's powers are now mine to command. However, there is one weapon I fear more than any other in the world: the Vampire Killer. And before you begin to panic, just know that, while I am Dracula, I have no desire to plunge the world into darkness and chaos. Don't get me wrong though, people are going to die and I'm going to change things one way or another. But I am not 'evil', per say. I am still the same person I've always been. I'm just stronger and more capable now. Still, I would warn the people of the village to leave me alone or else I will kill them. I won't hesitate to feed off of them or feed them to my brides."

Hiruzen nodded and said, "I'll give them fair warning, but I get the feeling you're going to need to make an example out of a few dozen people for the truth to set in. When they dare to attack you again, feel free to feed and then string them up somewhere as a warning to others. As for the council, I'll inform them that you are off limits from this point forward. Otherwise, they won't like the consequences."

Naruto chuckled darkly to himself and cracked his knuckles. "Oh, I'm sure I'll be having a wonderful time."

Hiruzen chuckled softly to himself before he looked at Ayame. Looking into her eyes, he saw that they were glazed over as she stared at seemingly nothing. Naruto noticed this as well and said, "So it works for those I turn as well. Tell me, Ayame-chan, what information did you glean from this man's memories?"

Ayame blinked a couple of times as she tried to process what had just happened to her. After a time, she said, "I saw a man, Danzo, I think, giving this one orders to gather information that he could use against Hokage-sama. To make sure Danzo always had the upper hand in political dealings and whatever else he could use such information for. More than that, this person was there when Danzo spoke with Orochimaru. Serving as a silent guard, just in case Orochimaru tried anything. Hokage-sama, you need to deal with Danzo SOON."

Hiruzen frowned slightly and shook his head. "Unfortunately, it will take more than your word for me to take any action against him. He's built up a lot of power and influence over the years. He knows how to hide his tracks well. And, when I tried to get Jiraiya to look into it and get me some damn proof of something, he didn't want to do it. If it has nothing to do with breasts and asses, he has no interest in it. And he's supposed to be our village's spymaster. Tch."

Naruto looked at his nails for a moment before shrugging and licking the blood off of his fingers. "Ew." He muttered. Shrugging it off, he looked back into Hiruzen's eyes and said, "If you'd like, I could just get rid of Danzo for you. I don't have any problem getting my hands dirty. If he's cooperating with one of this village's biggest traitors, then why risk allowing him to live? You are the Hokage, after all. Whether he likes it or not, you're the one in charge here. NOT him. Hell, Minato Namikaze isn't even in charge anymore. Therefore, they can't order your ninja to do anything. So, let me deal with the nuisance. His forces will make for a nice morsel for me and my bride."

Hiruzen blinked and asked, "Bride?"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Anyone I turn will either become my thrall or my bride. In Ayame-chan's case, she shall become my bride. Unless she'd prefer it if I left her to her own devices, of course?"

Ayame blushed prettily and said, "It's…a little soon to call myself your bride. But I don't like the idea of being labeled your servant either. Hmm…" Looking into his eyes, she said, "If I do choose to become your bride, then I want an actual wedding. Until then, lovers sounds like a better term for us."

As Ayame winked at him, Naruto chuckled and walked up to her. Placing his hand behind her head, he pulled her in for a kiss. When she didn't resist him and actually began to reciprocate his actions, Naruto grinned inwardly. "Lovers does sound quite…appropriate, doesn't it?"

"Oh, most definitely." Ayame said before she leaned in close and nipped at his earlobe. "And if you're a good boy, I might let you have your way with me."

Before Naruto could say anything in response, Hiruzen coughed to get their attention. "Yes, yes. You two can flirt with each other later. Naruto-kun, you are correct. Ayame, I will have someone escort you home. I want you to talk to your father and explain the situation to him. Naruto-kun, please follow me. It's time we had a little 'chat' with the council."

Giving Ayame a kiss goodbye, Naruto watched her leave for a moment before saying, "I nearly lost her tonight, Gramps. Which of those fools called the council together earlier?"

"I know you're hoping it was Danzo, just so you'd have another reason to crush him, but not this time. It was the damned civilians again. There wasn't a purpose behind it besides distracting me from what was taking place. In fact, I'm more than willing to let you feed on the civilian council just to get them out of my hair." Hiruzen said with a chuckle.

"I see. If they anger me, I hope you're ready to replace them with non-bigots." Naruto said as he followed the elderly gentleman into the council chambers. Deciding to play a little prank of sorts, Naruto disappeared into the shadows. All that Hiruzen could see of him were his red, slitted eyes. Then there was nothing.

Shivering slightly, Hiruzen motioned for his Anbu to go collect the various members of the council. Naruto is Dracula. The sheer power radiating from him is enough to terrify a lesser man. As it stands, I'm glad I'm on his good side. But, I fear for my people. Angering Naruto-kun now is akin to angering a god.

A while later, the room had filled in with the entirety of the council. The civilians and the elders looked quite cranky at being called into another meeting. The clan heads just looked incredibly tired, but they were paying rapt attention to the mood of their esteemed leader. Something's going on this time. How troublesome. Shikaku thought to himself. His mind was racing, trying to come up with some idea of what could have happened this time. Then, his eyes darted to the civilian council and he paid attention to their subtlest movements, their speech patterns, the inflection of their voice, everything. After a moment, he looked at Hiruzen and said, "Something has happened to Naruto. Hasn't it, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen smirked at Shikaku and said, "I knew you'd figure it out. Yes, Naruto-kun was attacked earlier when these bastards called a meeting WITHOUT the proper authority. Naturally, their 'meeting' was just a distraction so that some of my shinobi and the bigoted civilians could assault Naruto Uzumaki. However, there was an unforeseen consequence of this action. An innocent woman by the name of Ayame Ichiraku was caught in the attack when she tried to assist Naruto-kun. She was very nearly killed."

"Serves the girl right. She was trying to protect a monster!" a fat man said as he idly played with his curly mustache.

"A monster of your own making." Naruto said as he stepped out of the shadows behind said man. "Maybe next time, you fools will think twice before trying to harm an innocent young man."

"That boy is not innocent! And who the hell are you supposed to be, anyways?!" the man asked as he turned around to face the mysterious intruder.

Naruto simply chuckled darkly before he lunged forward and bit into the man's neck. He drank freely of the man's blood until he was a mere husk on the floor. As soon as he was finished drinking his meal, he licked his fangs clean before he turned to the other civilians. "Is this the kind of monster you hoped I would become?"

A man with pink hair that Naruto was easily able to recognize as Sakura Haruno's father, Kizashi Haruno, spoke up at this point. "N-Naruto?! You can't be! What the hell happened to you?!"

"Hmm, quite the interesting quandary, isn't it, Mr. Haruno? Do tell me, do your wife and daughter know the kind of monster you really are? After all, you orchestrated a number of attacks on me in the past. Sakura is a friend, and I cherish her as such. Your wife has made bentos for me because she knew I had nothing to eat at school besides ramen and other such meals. No, you go home at night and play the role of the perfect husband and father. You've never told them the truth about what kind of horrible human being you are."

Chuckling darkly, Naruto snapped his fingers and spears of darkness shot up from underneath the civilians, impaling each of them through their rectums up into their brains. Afterwards, he turned to look straight into Danzo's eye. "As for you, Danzo Shimura, I suggest you quit trying to hypnotize me with that stolen eye of yours. It doesn't belong to you, and it most certainly never has. You are a thief and a murderer. A traitor and a liar. And, because I wish it, you are now dead. You just aren't aware of this fact yet."

Before anyone could even ask what he meant, Danzo felt his grotesque arm light on fire. And Shisui's eye had mysteriously disappeared from within is skull. Screaming in agony from some unseen attack, all Danzo knew after a moment was the blissful silence that came with his death. When they looked at the man they assumed responsible for such a grisly fate, they saw Naruto standing beside Hiruzen, casually tossing Shisui Uchiha's eye up and down in the palm of his hand. "Gramps, what would you like to do with this eye? I assume you have someone in mind to give that to?"

"At the moment? I'm afraid not. I'd ask if you wanted it, but I have the feeling you would turn me down. So what if I simply hold onto this until sometime down the road? Who knows, one of your brides or thralls might make good use of such a thing." Hiruzen pondered.

"Sounds as good an idea as any." Naruto said before he gave the eye to Hiruzen, who proceeded to seal the eye away in a scroll for the time being until he could properly take care of it.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he looked into Naruto's eyes. Activating his Byakugan due to his natural curiosity, his eyes widened in horror. "W-What are you?"

Naruto turned his gaze on Hiashi and said, "I am the Lord of Darkness. Malice given form. An unstoppable force. Take your pick."

"Don't play games with me, Boy. Answer the damn question!" Hiashi exclaimed angrily.

Quirking a brow, Naruto took a step before he was suddenly in Hiashi's face a second later. "Very well then. How about I make you a deal? You begin treating your daughter like a human being with feelings and a soul, and I'll tell you exactly what I am. You see, I don't like the way you've treated Hinata. She wears that heavy coat of hers to hide the bruises. To hide the abuse she suffers at your hands. You allow her cousin to hate her and mistreat her, despite the fact he is nothing more than a slave in the eyes of you and your fellow Hyuga. Hinata has self-confidence and self-esteem issues as a result of your constant belittlement of her and her ways. I may have been turned into a real monster, but when you compare you and me? Well, you tell me who's the real monster."

Hiashi scowled and went to attack Naruto, only to blink at the loss of feeling in his right arm. Blinking a few more times in sheer confusion, he turned his gaze to his arm…or rather, the lack thereof. Blood was spurting from where his arm had been removed. Looking down on the floor, he saw his arm had been sheered clean off. Then, the pain finally caught up with him and he began to scream from the sheer agony he was feeling.

"Tch. The arm can still be reattached if you hurry and take him to the hospital. I have no interest in killing the fool." Naruto said before he took a step towards Hiruzen, only to vanish and appear behind him a second later.

Hiruzen sighed and ordered his Anbu to gather the arm and take Hiashi to the hospital. Once they had vanished, the old man turned to look at the elders, Koharu and Homura, and asked, "So, would either of you care to say something smart?"

Homura frowned and shook his head. "No thank you. We would like to remain living, thank you very much."

Koharu, on the other hand, looked concernedly at Naruto and asked, "Naruto? Are you okay? You're acting very differently from your usual self."

Turning, the white-haired vampire lord looked into Koharu's eyes and said, "I am fine, Lady Koharu. I am…adjusting, to my new circumstances. Though, now that I think on it, I would like a nicer apartment to live in. The one I've been forced to reside in is garbage. It's somewhere I wouldn't even want my worst enemy to sleep in. Besides that, it's too easily broken into and the landlady's a bitch. I need a true home, somewhere I can feel happy and safe to return to."

Hiruzen nodded and said, "I will give you a better apartment after we are finished here. I assume you intend to put up some kind of shielding to protect yourself while you sleep?"

Naruto nodded in response. "It would be best if I could sleep during the day and move about at night, but I will respect the way things work in this society. I may not like it, but I will do as I must. Now, are there anymore questions that need to be asked?"

Tsume nodded and said, "You said you were the Lord of Darkness. I assume you mean that you've become something else, something not human in nature. I recall an old folktale about a being named Dracula. So, would you care to tell us the truth?"

"I am Dracula. I am choosing to go by the name Naruto Dracula Uzumaki. I am still me, but I feel whole now. I am far more powerful, far faster, and far smarter than I could have ever been otherwise. In a strange way, the attack tonight helped me to become a better person. And…I turned Ayame into a vampire, like me. I couldn't bear to see her die. She was barely clinging onto life when I changed her. She will be the first of my brides." Naruto explained.

"Brides? As in plural?" Choza questioned.

Naruto nodded and said, "I will not let my bloodline be lost to the sands of time ever again. It is my intention to take multiple brides. Of course, I will turn whomever I'm with so I will not have to deal with the pain of being parted one day. If it helps, think of it like this: the CRA exists to bring an endangered clan back from the brink of destruction. My situation is no different. The Belmont family hunted my kind to extinction. Julius Belmont was the last wielder of the mighty Vampire Killer. He managed to kill Dracula once and for all. Only when a man by the name of Soma Cruz was Dracula given a chance to reenter this world. However, whilst Soma was Dracula's reincarnation, he never embraced his destiny. When he died, Dracula's soul transmigrated for millennia until finally I was born. Unlike Soma, I embraced the power of darkness. I became the new Dracula. However, whereas my ancestor was quite evil, I do not intend to carry out his will. I will do things my way and yes, people will die. However, I only intend to punish those deserving of my wrath. So long as my family and I are allowed to live in peace, there will be no need to fear us. We are simply people, like you, who want to live our lives."

What Naruto didn't tell them is the fact that he fully intended to shape the world in his image. Whether this meant turning influential individuals or killing someone that got in the way, he would do it without missing a heartbeat.

Tsume frowned in thought for a time before deciding to just come out with it. "With your power, you could easily pass the upcoming Genin exams and the real test given by the Jonin sensei assigned to you. But, do you even intend to become a Genin? Will you follow orders given by your superiors?"

"By 'superiors', I assume you mean those higher in rank than I. I will be a Genin and I will follow orders given by my 'sensei', but if the sensei does or says stupid things, I reserve the right to ignore such orders. I will do things my way and that is final. So it would be in everyone's best interest if they put me with someone I can actually work with. However, I refuse to do those chores the civilians are too lazy to do. Can you make this work, Gramps?" Naruto said, looking into Hiruzen's eyes.

Hiruzen thought it over for a time before saying, "Originally, I was going to place you on Kakashi Hatake's team with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. But…"

Naruto scoffed and said, "Kakashi is loyal to my 'father'. I would never receive any actual training from someone like that. Aside from that, Sasuke doesn't understand the concept of teamwork nor respect. He truly believes himself to be superior than everyone. If we were placed on the same team, I guarantee you that I'd erase him from existence. Or give him to one of my brides as sustenance. Sakura is the only one on that possible team that I could work with. We get along well and she is a real sweetheart, as well. No, you will need to find me another Jonin and team to work with."

Hiruzen nodded and said, "Hmm. There will be an uneven amount of students. I will need to pull two Genin from the reserves to ensure there's someone for every team. I believe I have the perfect two in mind, in fact. Now the matter is trying to find an appropriate team for everyone."

Tsume blinked in confusion and asked, "Wait, uneven teams? What do you mean?"

Naruto quirked a brow as he looked into the Hokage's eyes. "You haven't told them, yet?"

Hiruzen sighed and said, "Minato and Kushina are alive and have been out of the village since the attack, raising their daughter alone. Naruto was neglected by his family. They will be arriving sometime in the next two months so that their daughter can be placed on a team of Genin."

Everyone's eyes widened at the news they had just heard. However, Shikaku was the one to speak first. "That doesn't make sense. If they're alive, there is no way Kushina would have left her son behind. The Uzumaki clan were all about family. Family came first in everything. So why would Kushina leave Naruto behind?"

Hiruzen scowled and said, "It is my belief that Jiraiya and Minato did something to make her forget about Naruto-kun. I doubt she's aware that she even has a son. As for Naruko, if her parents never made mention of Naruto-kun, she likely doesn't even know that she has a brother. I'm tempted to give Naruto-kun their home just to spite Minato and Jiraiya."

"Then do it." Shibi said stoically. When everyone looked towards him curiously, he said, "It is technically Naruto's home by birthright. As he is their son, he can enter the premises and can then set up wards of some kind to keep Minato and his family from entering. This will force the three of them to find a new home. They would only be able to enter should Naruto wish them to. It is as simple as that."

Hiruzen blinked as he turned his gaze on Naruto. "What do you think?"

Naruto found himself smirking and said, "I like that idea. It will serve as a kind of punishment to Minato if his home has been taken from him by the child he so casually dismissed."

Shikaku chose this moment to interrupt the conversation. "Not to be rude, Naruto, but I have a question for you. When you underwent this transformation, what happened with the Kyuubi?"

Smirking at the clever man, Naruto held up his hands and showed off his claws. "I assimilated the Kyuubi into my very being. In essence, I've absorbed the Kyuubi, body and soul. Naturally, some of its unique features are now mine. Its immense power is mine to wield as I may."

Shikaku leaned back in his chair and chuckled morosely. "In other words, if we piss you off somehow, we're in deep shit. Wonderful."

Naruto laughed and said, "That's one way to put it, yes. However, you all have been very fair to me. Hiashi's the only one of you that's on my shit list. And yes, in case you were planning to ask, I will kill any shinobi or civilian that comes after me again. I think I'll save some for future meals for my wives and I."

"Minato and Jiraiya are doomed when they return." Tsume said in realization. After a moment, she looked into Naruto's eyes and asked, "Are you planning to kill them?"

"Not unless they try something first. I may be a monster in the flesh, but in mind, soul, and heart? I'm still the same way that I've always been. I'll give everyone a fair shot. If they cross me, however, there will be hell to pay." Naruto explained.

"Then we'd best hope they don't push their luck." Shibi said. Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

Midnight

After the meeting had concluded, Hiruzen had personally escorted Naruto to his new home. However, after getting settled in and ensuring his belongings had been transferred from his lousy apartment into his new home, Naruto ventured to the Ichiraku household. At the moment, he sat beside Ayame on a couch while Teuchi tried to process everything he had just been told.

After some time had passed, Teuchi looked squarely into Naruto's eyes and said, "Thank you, my boy. You saved my daughter's life. I understand that she's become a vampire. I'll have to figure out some way to keep the both of you fed. Can't have you going hungry now." Smiling at the two of them, he soon said, "And I'll be looking forward to the grandchildren you'll both be giving me." He teased good-naturedly.

Both of them blushed at the thought of children, but Naruto soon smiled at his chosen bride. "Well, with Ayame-chan at my side, I think we'll be the perfect parents to our children. Although, something you said worries me a bit. Are you absolutely certain you'd want to begin cooking with blood? Because that's the kind of sustenance we need."

Teuchi offered him a sincere smile and said, "Naruto, m'boy, you are like a son to me. And Ayame is my daughter. If it means I can help keep the two of you fed, I'll try to make some kind of arrangement with Hokage-sama. Now, you've both had a long day. Will you be safe walking home?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Of course. The question now is: would Ayame continue living here, or does she want to move in with me?"

Ayame blushed a bit and shook her head. "As nice as that would be, for the time being I want to stay here. I will move in with you eventually, my darling. Just give it some time."

The vampire lord smiled kindly at his lover and kissed her sweetly on the lips. Afterwards, he looked into Teuchi's eyes and said, "It might be best to let her sleep during the day, if at all possible. We thrive in the nighttime. That is when we are most active. That is when we are at our strongest."

Teuchi nodded in understanding and said, "I'll try to let her rest, but there are some days where I'll need her help in the restaurant. Just as you will have to wander in the daylight to attend classes and participate on missions after you've become a Genin."

"I am aware of that." Naruto said. "For now, I shall let you two get the sleep you need. Ayame-chan, you might feel okay right now, but you've just been through a trying ordeal. Even if you don't feel tired right now, it's best to try and get some sleep. Once everything catches up with you, you're going to feel incredibly exhausted."

Ayame nodded before kissing her lover one more time. When he left moments later, she turned to her father and giggled happily. "Can you believe it? I'm finally going to be with Naruto-kun! Ooooh, I've been waiting for this! I wonder, when we go on our first date, what should I wear? Oh, the possibilities!"

Teuchi simply chuckled before he went to go and get some rest. No matter what, I'm on your side, Naruto. Even if you want to watch the world burn, I'll always support you. It's the least I can do after you saved my daughter.

A/N - And that's the chapter! That seemed like a good stopping point for the chapter, so I went with it. *shrugs*

Anywho, as you can see, whereas Soma chose NOT to embrace his destiny, Naruto willingly chose to become the devil himself, so to speak, in order to save his loved one and become strong enough to crush his enemies. I also decided to play around a bit with the lore and potential weaknesses and such.

Whether it's obvious or not, Naruto will be somewhat darkish in this fic. No mercy. No kindness. People like Minato, Gato, etc. are going to get destroyed. Also, this story WILL be a harem. I just don't know who's in it yet. I'm sure a lot of you are going to have suggestions. XD You usually do.

Anyways, I have an appointment with my therapist today, so I NEED to try and get some sleep.

Oh! Before I forget, the Castlevania games I mentioned that I've been playing lately?

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Richter Mode) on my 3DS

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (part of Castlevania Advance Collection) on my PS5.

I've also been playing Super Metroid lately, too. Which is also very fun. lol

Anywho, as much as I hate my therapist, still gotta go see him. Kinda important if I want to stay on disability. x.x; So yeah. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!